On October 1st, citizens of Ward Two will go to the polls to elect an individual to replace Councilwoman Angelique Lee. She resigned from the City Council on August 14th. Six people have qualified to run for the seat – Marcus Cheatham, Montyne (Tina) Clay, Celestial Gordon-Griffin, Cheryl Matory, Brian Mozee, and Catherine Robinson.
Prior to the election, there will be ample opportunity to get to know the candidates’ backgrounds. Each will have distributed his/her literature. There will likely be ads, social media postings, and other forms of publicity, letting the public know things like the schools from which they graduated, the groups and organizations with which they have affiliated, and their work experience.
Along that line, Ward Two has been represented by a number of credentialed stalwarts. Among those who come to mind are Louis Armstrong, Leslie McLemore, Chokwe Lumumba, Melvin Priester Jr. and Angelique Lee, all of whom were hard-workers and had impressive resumes.
This time around, in order to avoid any later surprises and in order to have a better realization of how the person may fit or align himself or herself with the job requirements and the needs of Jackson, each candidate must be examined on very specific issues. This can be done in large forums and on one-on-one bases, but should not be neglected.
Education about the candidates is crucial. The public has a right to know candidates’ affiliations. Above and beyond that, however, residents need to know the candidates in terms of the issues that are most likely to come before the Council and in terms of the needs of the city. It is important to know what each has had to say or has actually done about things like the library system. Does either have any professional skills or knowledge about public utilities or public works? What kinds of experiences have they had in managing budgets or managing workers?
Answers to these kinds of questions can go a long way in helping voters know the kind of help they are sending to the Council to assist the Mayor and the other Councilpersons. It is not enough to see Jackson’s problems and complain about what the Mayor or Council needs to do. They need help.
Many people in Jackson realize the city has a problem with too little revenue; a shrinking tax base. Many people know there continues to be a flight of businesses and middle to upper income families from the city. Many people see and understand the unjust manner in which the state legislature deals with Jackson in terms of facilities, revenue, and services. The question in each case is: “What can creative minds do in terms of passing ordinances, negotiating deals, and garnering support that will bring changes in the critical areas.
On the one hand, residents know to some degree who stands for what when it comes to the present Council members. As this special election takes place, Ward Two voters need to figure out, with a little advice from their friends, the type of person needed to build the coalitions that can most justly and expeditiously deal with things like the Jackson Zoo, JTRAN bus service, city garbage collection, salaries for police and fire personnel, and the retention of such city facilities as the airport, and the water and sewage systems.
Jackson’s citizens can elect the kind of leaders able to salvage and resurrect Jackson. They can start by carefully, comprehensively, and objectively considering Marcus Cheatham, Montyne Clay, Celestial Gordon-Griffin, Cheryl Matory, Brian Mozee, and Catherine Robinson in the October 1st special election in Ward Two. If the voting is done on the basis of friendship or some quid pro quo basis, the outcome is not likely to be any different, just more of the same as in a game of musical chairs.
The October special election is clearly an opportune time to make things special for Ward Two and the city as a whole. From there the citizens can move to the full municipal election next spring, creating a whole sea-change for the better.
